By and large the biggest segment of the consumer digital photography market is that of compact cameras and point and shoots. This is because these cameras are easy to use – you flick it on, point it in the right direction and depress the shutter – easy as pie! A Prosumer, on the other hand, is for people who like to get more out of their cameras – such as if you are more likely to experiment with various settings on cameras. Also, if not in the mood – you love the fact that simply by setting the camera on auto mode you can get top-notch photos. While it’s easy to decide to purchase a Point-and-Shoot (P&S) or a Prosumer, the sheer deluge of products available in the market today is likely to boggle the average consumers’ mind. We give you a few pointers in the right direction.
There's more to a camera than pixels
When choosing a camera, don't blindly choose one that has the highest megapixel (MP) count. The MP count only decides how large the final photo will be. But the quality of the photograph cannot be measured by MP count alone - you need to factor in exposure settings, sensor size, ISO speeds, etc. These factors play a far more important role. Without exception, all modern Point & Shoot and Compact cameras available in the market these days give you MP counts greater than 10 MP - which is more than sufficient for most purposes.
Body/Form Factor
The form factor of a camera is important because you'll be carrying the camera in your hands most of the time. This will also play an important role in the kind of tripod you choose - a lighter one or a heavy-duty one. In this regard, both Point & Shoot cameras and Compacts have a light form factor and ergonomic design which make it easy to grip and find the different function keys on the body of the camera. 
Point and Shoots are almost always more portable than compacts and can easily be transported in your pocket. Point & Shoot cameras like the Sony DSC WX150 are small enough to shove into your jeans pockets, while the Canon SX40IS is large enough to be a DSLR and need to be carried in a bag. Choose your camera based on how portable you want it to be.
Lens Optics, HD Video
Another mistake that some camera shoppers make is to go for the camera which has the highest zoom. Instead, pay attention to the camera lens' focal length. Cameras with lower focal lengths can shoot far better, with a tighter focus than cameras with lower focal lengths. For example, a camera lens with a 35mm focal length will not be able to take a wide angle photo - which is what you require if you want to fit your entire family in a single frame. Typically, 35 mm lenses are sold on budget Point & Shoot cameras. If you want to shoot wider angle images - like those that are taken during a picnic, or a family get together, where you want to include everybody in a shot - choose a camera with a lower focal length. When choosing a compact camera with a long zoom (anywhere from 10x to 35x) you should make sure that the camera has an image stabilization (IS) feature. Without image stabilization (or vibration reduction, for Nikon cameras), the photo you take will be too blurry to be recognizable. If you insist on selecting a camera with a long zoom and no IS, bear in mind that you need to use a tripod to stabilize the camera to shoot telephotos. 
All compact and Point & Shoot cameras shoot video these days. But you should select one that allows you to record in HD - the quality of the video and sound captured is simply amazing. Even in 720 progressive and at 30fps, the quality of the video shot is far better than 640x480 video at the same frame rate.
LCD, ISO Performance
In almost all cases, you'll be composing and reviewing your photographs through the rear LCD. Because of this, you need to ensure that the LCD on the camera you buy has to be of the best resolution available along with an appropriate brightness. Try to go for a 3" LCD. If not, a 2.5" LCD should suffice. Then again, if you're buying a prosumer compact camera, try not to select one with a touch-screen interface. Chances are you'll want to fiddle around with manual exposure settings and the like; buttons and dials are better for fine-tuning the settings to your satisfaction. One of the more important factors in choosing a Point & Shoot or a Prosumer will be the ISO performance of the camera. Typically, these cameras do not have very powerful flashes and you'll need every ounce of ISO performance that you can squeeze out of your camera to take good quality photos in low lighting conditions. In this regard, Prosumers out-perform Point & Shoot cameras by a large margin. They typically have wide ISO ranges - the higher the ISO setting, the more light the sensor captures. A camera that can shoot good quality photos at high ISO settings will allow you to shoot clear images in low lighting conditions.
So which one's for you?
The thing is you can't really buy a camera simply based on the features available. You need to choose your camera based on the kind of photographs you expect to take. If you're a simple guy who only needs to take photos of the occasional birthday party or beach trip and send them off to your grand pa or grand ma, or post them up on Facebook, then there's nothing like a point and shoot. If you're a budding photographer and are only just getting into the basics of photography: learning about metering or lighting modes, or learning about ISO speeds and shutter speeds, then we'd advise you to go for a prosumer camera. Many of them have manual modes that facilitate you to put what you've learnt to real good use. Whether you choose a slinky point and shoot, or a long zoom prosumer, we invite you to come down to one of our stores and test out the digital camera of your dreams. You'll be glad you did.
